With a wetsuit on offer to the 1st place finisher, St Ives was a race I needed to win! (pic shows me shaking race organiser Ben Mason's hand at the finish)The St Ives surf Triathlon is regarded as one of the hardest in the UK, and right from the gun a tricky beach run takes you into the surf for the 2 lap 1500m swim, so I knew that this wasn't going to be an easy race to win.
By the end of the swim I was in the top 10 and ready to put my pre race plan into action:
1. Exit the swim inside the top 10 and in control to be able to find my bike in T1.
2. Attack the bike course, take the lead and get into T2 with a gap of a minute plus.
3. Run a strong 10km over the very hilly / steep 2l ap course and hold off any challengers?
4. Take home a brand new wet suit, so to stop having to rely on borrowing off of my mates in order to compete in the World Cup! (Thanks guys for all the help: wheels, suits, etc)
During the bike stage I used my skills as a mountain biker on the twisting lumpy course, taking the lead by the half way point and then pushing as hard as possible over the last part to ensure that no one was pressuring me during the run. Leaving T2 with a 5minute gap made the run a formality, and I was able to relax over the 10km run and take in the views of the sea and St Ives town!
Receiving the wetsuit at the presentation was not only a great feeling, but also such a valuable thing to me at this point in my season, when I'm trying to save every penny in order to complete my World Cup campaign. Thanks go to all my sponsors, and to race organisors VO2 for putting on such a great event.
